1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a visual device which will deter a vehicle from prematurely crossing into an on-going line of through traffic from a merging lane of traffic, so as to permit the flow of traffic to smoothly merge, as desired, and particularly to a traffic control device which will resist wear and destruction under traffic control conditions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A problem encountered with the use of limited access roads is the merging of vehicles from an on-ramp into a line of traffic on the road. As can be readily observed on such roads, or highways, the oncoming vehicles frequently cross into the adjacent through traffic lane of the road before the on-ramp itself merges into the lane of the road in question. While it would be advantageous to position barriers of a suitable nature along the on-ramp and highway where same are separated, but are physically joined together in such a manner that vehicles can pass from one to the other, the wear and damage incurred by such control devices makes the use of same impractical.
It is generally known to provide traffic directing devices which employ flexible shafts so that the shaft will bend when struck by a vehicle, and the like. Examples of such devices can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos: 1,267,021, issued May 21, 1918, to J. A. Watts; U.S. Pat. No. 1,487,635, issued Mar. 18, 1924, to J. A. Watts; U.S. Pat. No. 1,599,066, issued Sept. 7, 1926, to S. W. Rushmore; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,165,704, issued July 11, 1939, to J. B. Hood. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 2,165,704 discloses a sign which has a resilient standard formed by a spring surrounded by a resilient covering. A screw threaded sleeve is provided on the standard which permits the standard or post to be removably mounted on a suitable base.